Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Bloom Day-January 2010

From In the Garden

This month's bloom day sees very few blooms outside here at Tiger Gardens, but there are a few. Blooming outside are a mahonia (Plant of the Month), the vernal witch hazel, and a few pansies but that is about it. Inside the house we have some red geraniums, pink impatiens, a hot pink Christmas cactus, and an oxalis blooming. The sweet little oxalis flowers are pictured above. I am fortunate to have a sunny southern facing window in order to grow these plants or I don't think I'd have any blooms! But to tell you the truth-shhhhh-I only have plants inside in the winter because they can be put outside during the summer. I truly don't care for houseplants but will admit they are a welcomed bit of green so I keep them here.

Since this month is such a slow month as far as blooms go I thought I'd share with you a few blooms you can expect to bloom in the garden during the next few months. I've been working on an Excel spreadsheet for a few years that depicts the bloom dates of all my plants but I sometimes miss a few. However, I do have a pretty good list so I thought I'd share it with you this year. If you are a local gardener or a gardener who gardens in conditions similar to mine (Zone 6B, Middle Tennessee) this list is for you. If you live a few hours north or south in say Zone 6A to 7B your plants will be blooming either a few weeks behind or ahead but you can expect pretty much the same sequence of bloom so be looking for the flowers. This list might be helpful to you if you are planning for year round blooms-you'll know what to plant if you live in this area. If you already grow these plants then you can know when to look for the blooms:)

Without further ado here is a list of plants you can expect to bloom in January:


Mahonia (began blooming in December)
Vernal Witch Hazel
Hellebores

And since I have some extra time let me add what you can expect to bloom in your garden in February:

'Diane' Witch Hazel (and perhaps other 'intermedia' cultivars but I can only vouch for 'Diane' since it is the only hybrid I grow)
Crocuses
Hellebores (still)
Daffodils

And I still have time since these month's lists are kind of short I thought I'd add some more plants in for March:

Some cultivars of Camellia sasanquas
Forsythia
Pulmonarias
Scilla
Quince
Glory of the Snow
Muscari
Hyacinths
Flowering Almond
Vinca
Pieris
Silene
Tulips
Kerria
Crabapples
Flowering Plum
Old Fashioned Bleeding Hearts

Disclaimer: The lists are in chronological order. I keep records every year and some years the dates vary by one or two weeks depending on the weather. It is possible something that blooms on 26 March 2009 (crabapples for instance) may not bloom until April this year so expect some variations since history does not always predict the future.

Additionally, there are several other plants and bulbs missing from here that I only just planted last year, therefore I do not have the dates of bloom for them. Some of the plants and bulbs include: fritillaria meleagris, winter jasmine, snow drops, and winter aconite
. I will update them as they bloom....

in the garden....

34 comments:

  1. I don't have anything blooming outside except a few surviving pansies and they look pretty unhappy. But inside my paperwhites are starting to bloom. Yea--flowers!
    Thanks for the list Tina-reminds me of things I forgot bloom in March.

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  2. Thanks for that list, Tina. That would be so handy. I once attempted to do that, but have way too many plants, and somehow more keep coming to live here, it would mess up the pretty papers. Happy early bloom day. :-)
    Frances

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  3. Wouldn't it be nice to have Marcxh right around the corner?

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  4. Hi Tina -your list is making me so anxious for Spring:) Thanks for sharing them:) Ciao

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  5. Good morning all!
    Linda, You bet! Won't be long now.

    Frances, I changed my bloom day so I won't have to worry about when a bloom day comes on the weekend. I guess I started my own bloom day now:)

    Dawn, It is!

    Anonymous, I seem to remember a certain love of yours for daffys! They are already up and February is right around the corner. Yeah for the upcoming warmth-it's been c-o-l-d!!!

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  6. I'm with you, Tina--I don't have houseplants during the warm months either, but I do have some geraniums, a begonia, and my rosemary tucked away in the spare bedroom, hoping they'll survive for another season. I like being outside, with the sun on my back and listening to the birds while I garden--not indoors. Besides, all indoor plants are in danger of being knocked over by curious cats here:)

    I need to take some tips from you on getting better organized!

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  7. Hello tina.

    I have few flowers outside now. Only narcissuses are in bloom. I saw your fabulous Mahonias in your January 6th post. I'd never seen them before. So lovely! Looking forward to your posts in 2010.
    Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

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  8. The bloom record keeping sounds like a good idea! Since its Jan. maybe I should start doing something similar. In February the winter blooming jasmines should start blooming. I'm kind of in the same boat with the house plants...we have them but they get neglected.

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  9. Rose, A gardener after my own heart indeed. Houseplants are for the outside house:)

    Sapphire, Hello and a Happy New Year to you too! I wish I could come to Japan and tour the Kyoto Zen Garden. It is so beautiful and I learned a lot from your post this morning. Glad you like my mahonia. They can be pretty prolific though so use caution if you plant one.

    Dave, Those ole houseplants. They do take a lot of work. Yes! Please do start a bloom sheet. We can compare for our own purposes. I bet you are a day or two earlier than me here but I tell you it is great for me to keep up with what is coming. That way I know to look for the bloom.

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  10. Your bloom-time list is a great tool for keeping track of the slight variations from year to year. Your list is also impressive for the variety of plants you have. I agree with you about houseplants. They just don't turn my crank. Guess that's one reason why they fail to thrive in this house. They can probably sense my indifference.

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  11. Hi Tina. Keeping records of bloom dates is a good idea. That would be so helpful in planning a garden to have something blooming almost all the time.
    Marnie

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  12. Daffodils will bloom here sometimes in later January depends on the weather too!
    Thats about it though(-:
    Can't wait to see them again!

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  13. Hi Tina, nothing blooming here right now. I thought it was time for the hellebores to bloom but it's gone. I think there should be some sign of it. Funny I never liked it and last year it was actually pretty when I took pics of it, guess it got prettier with age and now it looks like it's gone. LOL

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  14. Heh. I might see some movement in bloom by March. The hamamelis will get around to it after it gets thawed out from the usual Feb-March ice storm, the galanthus will start as soon as the snow melts back to an inch or so, but otherwise....sigh. No blooms for me. Thank heavens for blogs elsewhere such as yours!

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  15. Nothing blooming here, not even in the house. Oh darn I lied as I do have 5 geraniums that I brought in to save for next year that have a few blooms. Even my Christmas Cctus have all gone by. They did not last long at all this year but in their shor bloom time they sure were bright and pretty.

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  16. Isn't it nice that the beginning of more and more flowers blooming is not that far off? I saw a forsythia in bloom yesterday just down the road from us, I was really surprised because it's a good month early.
    These are great lists and very similar to when they'd be blooming here too.

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  17. Hi Tina, although I'm not in your zone your list helps me. I must start one for myself so I can keep up with what is supposed to be blooming as a certain time in my garden. Some I know right off but for the most I don't really know.

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  18. What invaluable information you have put together. I do not particularly like houseplants much either, but they do provide nice winter color. Your Oaxilis flowers are beautiful.

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  19. Lovely blooms Tina.... Beautifully peeping out, through the glass... Well I don't know much of the plants & flowers....

    Ash..
    (http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

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  20. I knew you would have some color for January. You seem to have something each month, You are such the avid gardener girl...

    I love houseplants but with cats, I just cannot have any unless they hide in the guest room so what’s the point? My Pothos are high away from kitty paws in the Dining and Sun rooms but no room for anything else. I was nice enough to bring in the Spider plants this year and a few others from the front porch. I will be ready for porch plant placement when the temps arrive and should save some money as well by keeping them inside and behind closed doors. I do miss my houseplants but I get so much more from my kitty girls then i ever could from a plant…

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  21. Wow - you have it down to science. I am keeping better records this year and am doing a lot of pre-planning on what to put where. Maybe one day I'll have it down as good as you have done. It's fun isn't it.

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  22. Hi Tina! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and happy new year!! Sorry I haven't been blogging much... I've been so busy with work since the first of the year. It's wonderful that you keep track of everything that blooms when. I should really do that sort of thing... I really only keep track of my veggies. Right now nothing is blooming except indoors. We are frozen solid in New England and have lots of snow on the ground.

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  23. Stunning photo, Tina! I love how you captured the light. Sunny windows make all the difference in the winter. We have basil growing in ours, but it is looking poorly. I hope you get those winter blooms. It was 0 this morning in Maine.

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  24. Tina, your blooms are most welcome to this northener. I suppose I could have posted my violets, but I am even growing tired of them. I do have a few houseplants that I put outside in the summer to grow strong and green again after being cooped up in the house all winter and not having enough sun. They do help with the garden withdrawl symptoms. :)

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  25. Morning Tina, not sure how I missed this posting yesterday...though I did leave early for a conference.
    I love the delicate blooms of the Oxalis...I was confused in your photo with the leaf next to the bloom...didn't add up. haahaaa

    Good list of bloom times, I supposed going through a couple years of photos with digitally dated info I could do likewise. I enjoy within the blogging world seeing the different bloom times in the spring....you can see spring creeping north as each blogger posts another photo.

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  26. Hi Janet, That leaf is from a pineapple plant-post coming later this month:) There are a bunch of pots on this table in the window. Probably should've moved the others. Hope you had fun at the conference. I have a master gardener one next month I am most excited about. It means a few days away. I'll feel like I'm back in the Army going TDY. lol

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  27. Oops, also there is a Christmas cactus leaf pictured:)

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  28. I do like Mahonia and some even grow here! I'm usually not so sure of the day/date since I haven't been working 9-5, but your post really confused me because I was pretty darn sure today was the 14th... and then I remembered you don't post every day. Whew! :)

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  29. What a brilliant idea Tina to create a spreadsheet for the bloom times. Everything at your fingertips! It would be so handy to look at and see where you need to beef up blooms, etc. I know I still need to work on fall bloomers. I'm a bit behind you (in zones) so March is really when things get going here. I can't wait. Thanks for the encouragement tho ~ it's coming ~ we just need to be patient. Great photo too.

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  30. Those towel creatures are great! Kinda makes me want to try one for my guests. And I hear you about the dirt under the fingernails...gotta clean up for a friend's wedding on Saturday!

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  31. Not much blooming here either -- just a H x intermedia seedling outside and a Christmas cactus inside. Due to the recent cold snap the Winter Honeysuckle and Prunums mume are in a holding pattern.

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  32. Well, it really won't be long now, will it? I'm anxious to see which of my bulbs come up and what the hellebore looks like this year. Gotta do some deer proofing too, I'm afriad! Happy Bloom Day!

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  33. I'm with you, I'm generally not a houseplant fan. The ones that make it inside are just temporarily hiding out from the weather they can't handle. Great idea keeping track of your bloom dates, it is surely helpful for your area gardeners to take advantage of your good record keeping.

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  34. Oxalis blooms are sometimes difficult to photograph. I love your photo of them. I like your list. I am so excited to see when my hellebores bloom. I just hope they do this year.

    I am like you, in that the reason I have plants inside is so they can have a place to be until they go outside when spring weather comes.

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